Rose Mary Meier

Rose Mary Elizabeth (Pelster) Meier, 91, of Denver, died Jan. 26, 2023, in her home, surrounded by family. Rose Mary was born Feb. 17, 1931, to Bernard and Elizabeth (Reicks) Pelster in Dalton, Nebraska. She was the seventh of eight children. She enjoyed elementary and junior high in Dalton, then attended high school at St. Patrick’s boarding school in Sidney, Nebraska. Mondays, she rode the milk train to Sidney, then back to Dalton on Fridays.

On Jan. 7, 1953, Rose Mary married Edward Meier in Dalton. They met in Sunol, Nebraska, at a dance and celebrated 64 years of marriage before Ed’s death in 2017. 

While raising seven children, Rose Mary became a business partner and bookkeeper with Meier Bros. She grew a variety of flower gardens and a large vegetable garden, and fed the family all year long with home-canned and -frozen foods, farm to table. Her family eagerly looked forward to her homemade cinnamon rolls, kraut-burgers and egg noodles. 

She was a 4-H and Cub Scout leader, Farmers Union Camp mom, seamstress for her family and a dedicated, loving parent. She worked at the White Center, and volunteered at the Colorado Welcome Center and Ovid Rummage Room. Despite her busy schedule, she took time to develop and maintain lifelong friendships, collect stamps, knit, needlepoint, quilt and document family genealogy. Early on, Rose Mary embraced computer technology for Meier Bros. bookkeeping, and for keeping up with family and friends on Facebook and email.

She is survived by seven children, Edward and Mary Beth (Saxton) Meier, William and Shellie (Martin) Meier, Virginia and Dan Dudden, Steve and Katherine (MacDonald) Meier, Anne and Marc Newman, Beth and Mike Wilcox, and Patricia Meier; 11 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Rose Mary was a lifelong devoted Catholic. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Rose Mary’s memory to St. Anthony’s Catholic Church of Julesburg or to https://www.vasculitisfoundation.org/donate-to-the-vf/.

A funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, Feb. 11, at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Julesburg. A rosary will be held at 10 a.m., followed by Mass at 11 a.m. Interment will be held at the Ovid cemetery after Mass, followed by lunch in the church basement.

Condolences may be shared at prairiehillsjulesburg.com, where the services will be livestreamed.

 Prairie Hills Funeral Home of Julesburg is in charge of arrangements.